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Country musician and native North Carolinian
George Hamilton IV was born on 19 July 1937. In 1956, while a student at the University
of North
Carolina, Hamilton recorded the song "A Rose and a Baby Ruth"
for Colonial Records, a local label. From that recording, Hamilton went on make the
transition
to country music. He soon became a mainstay at the Grand Ole Opry and, through his
work abroad,
eventually became known as the International Ambassador of Country Music. The collection includes audiovisual materials, press materials, posters, clippings,
and photographs pertaining to the life and career of George Hamilton IV. Other country
music performers are also featured.

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Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the George Hamilton IV Collection #20410, Southern Folklife
Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Received from George Hamilton V of Franklin, Tenn., in May 2006 (Acc. 100413), December
2006 (Acc. 100567), August 2016 (Acc. 102634), November 2016 (Acc. 102693), and September
2017 (Acc. 103139). Website harvested using Archive-It, beginning in October 2013
(Acc. 101957).

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State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.).
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George Hamilton IV was born on 19 July 1937 in Winston-Salem, N.C. On 18 June 1956,
while a
student at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., Hamilton recorded
the song,
"A Rose and a Baby Ruth" (written by John D. Loudermilk) for
Orville Campbell's Colonial Records, also in Chapel Hill. From that recording, which
became a
hugely successful pop teen hit, Hamilton went on make the transition to country music;
become a
mainstay at the Grand Ole Opry; and, through his work abroad, become recognized as
the
International Ambassador of Country Music.

By the late 1950s, Hamilton had moved to Washington, D.C., and become a regular performer
(with Patsy Cline, for a time) on Jimmy Dean's "Town and Country
Jamboree" show. He had also toured with Bobby Darin, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and the
Everly Brothers, along with many other well-known pop stars, and made numerous national
television appearances. Although "A Rose and a Baby Ruth,"
acquired by ABC-Paramount Records, had become the label's first million-selling record,
in
January 1960, feeling miscast as a teen pop singer and following his love of country
music,
Hamilton and his young family moved to Nashville.

On 8 February 1960, Hamilton officially became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Later
that
year, he began recording for RCA Records, having been signed by Chet Atkins. In 1963,
John D.
Loudermilk's "Abilene" became a number-one hit for Hamilton on
the country charts and reached the top 20 in pop. His interest in Canadian songwriters
became
evident in the late 1960s when he recorded songs by Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen,
Buffy
Sainte-Marie, and Gordon Lightfoot. In 1969, his first record of all Canadian music
was
released. Hamilton's internationalism was also shown by a long-standing involvement
with the
annual International Festival of Country Music, held at Wembley (UK), which began
that same
year. An association with the BBC also developed as Hamilton hosted many programs--variety
and
documentary--that showcased country music. His performance at Moscow University in
1974 was the
first for an American country music performer. Other "first"
performances on this tour were in Hungary, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Later that
year,
Billboard Magazine began to refer to Hamilton as the "International Ambassador of Country Music."

In 1971, Hamilton left Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry for Charlotte, N.C., to join
the
broadcasts of Arthur Smith's country music televison show. He continued to work overseas
while
also maintaining a busy touring schedule in the United States. In the 1990s, he became
involved
with several musical theater and concert productions that featured the work of Patsy
Cline, with
Irish singer Sandy Kelly playing the title role.

Hamilton has continued to record country, folk, and gospel albums, including two with
his son,
George Hamilton V. In 2006, he celebrated his 50th year as a recording artist, which
included a
special reception hosted in London by the United States Ambassador to Britain.

The George Hamilton IV Collection includes audiovisual materials, papers,
posters, and photographs pertaining to the life and career of the country
singer and guitarist. Audio recordings consist of audiocassettes,
open reel recordings, and transcription disc recordings of perfomances, interviews,
radio shows,
and an early recording session, all featuring Hamilton. Included are recordings of
the
BBC's
How the West Was Sung;
Country Crossroads;
The Ralph Emery
Show
; a recording of Hamilton's first performance at the Grand Ole
Opry; a 1956 recording session at Colonial Records; interviews
for BBC Radio and Radio Scotland; and other recorded performances and
interviews. Also in the collection is a demo tape of "Gentle on My
Mind" by John Hartford. Visual materials include films and
videotapes of television shows and promotional spots from the United States,
Great Britain, and Canada. Papers consist of newspaper clippings, press releases and
other
promotional materials, programs, correspondence, posters, and other materials pertaining
to
Hamilton's career. Photographs consist of both professional and candid photographs
of George
Hamilton IV, his family and friends, and associated musicians and music industry professionals,
including David Allan, Chet Atkins, Jiri
Brabec, Charles Chilton, Jim Clark,
Patsy Cline, Mervyn Conn, Clarence
Count, Country Express, Skeeter Davis,
Pat Derry, Bruce Eller, Connie B.
Gay, Walt Grealis, Rolf Harris,
The Hillsiders, Frank Ifield, Gordon
Lightfoot, John D. Loudermilk, Loretta
Lynn, Miki & Griff, Jim Moore,
Anne Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Jack
Rodgers, Slim Whitman, Wally Whyton, and
Paul Yandell.

Posters collected by George Hamilton IV while on tours in the United States, Canada,
Europe, and Japan. Most posters advertise live concert appearances by George Hamilton
IV or
festivals in which he performed, but there are also posters from the Nashville Room
in London
advertising performances by Michael Nesmith, Jerry Reed, Buddy Knox, and Hank Locklin.
Posters promoting album releases by George Hamilton IV as well as items pertaining
to his
appearance as marshal in a Charlotte, N.C., parade are also included. Note that the
years
relating to some posters are unknown.

Chiefly press materials, including press releases and promotional flyers, and newspaper
and magazine clippings about George Hamilton IV. Of note are many materials relating
to Hamilton's role in a show about Patsy Cline. There are also similar promotional
materials about other country music performers and cultural institutions, including
the Country Music Association.

Processing Information: Materials have been placed in folders for use, but they have
not been analyzed, arranged, or fully described.

Materials are chiefly press kits, newspaper clippings, and issues of the
George Hamilton IV and Friends News Information Service newsletter. Other materials include international and national tour information and
schedules.

Expand/collapse Series 6. George Hamilton IV Website (Addition of May 2014).

1 item.

"George Hamilton IV & Friends," website of country musician George Hamilton IV. The site includes a biography of
Hamilton, concert schedule, discography, photographs, and contact information for
Hamilton.